The restriction on the basic rights of women and girls and lack of access to opportunities impede the progress of sustainable development. Women participate in labor markets on an unequal basis and are more likely to work in vulnerable, low-paid or undervalued jobs. In most countries, women are underrepresented in managerial positions, STEM careers and in politics. Women in developing countries spend four times as many hours on unpaid work as men.

In developing countries, reproductive health problems are a leading cause of poor health and death for women and girls of childbearing age. While child marriage rates have declined, they remain high in some regions including Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which limits educational and employment opportunities. According to the WHO, 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexually intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.

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U-Report

U-Report is a mobile empowerment programme that connects young people all over the world to their governments and decision makers, shares …

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Opportunities & Challenges

Obstacles to women’s social, economic and political empowerment are many, and cultural and social norms are two of the major ones. Challenges and opportunities include:

Access to ICT: Lack of ICT access disproportionately affects women and is the third most important development issue for women after poverty and violence. Cost remains the biggest barrier to women owning a mobile phone or having access to the internet. Other barriers include social norms and lack of digital literacy. Economic opportunity: Access to ICT provides the means for women to access markets and business services, in turn opening up income opportunities. For example, a UN Women/CISCO Networking Academy training program in Morocco enabled 60% of the graduating students to gain access to the job market within three months after graduation.

Financial inclusion and access: Women tend to have less access to formal financial services, despite often being responsible for spending the majority of family income. This lack of access remains a barrier to achieving equal rights.

Sexual and reproductive health: Denial of reproductive rights exacerbates poverty and gender inequality. Fully addressing the unmet contraceptive needs of women in developing regions would prevent 35 million abortions and 76,000 maternal deaths each year. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth is a leading killer of adolescent girls in developing countries. Access to information about safe sex and family planning is often not openly available in communities.

Violence and trafficking: WHO data from 2014 shows that one in three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or abused in some way, most often by someone she knows. Gaps in data undermine efforts to reduce violence – most instances of abuse do not come to the attention of authorities or service providers.

what’s really interesting is innovation in cash-based transfers. aid targets men, but women generally use 90% of family income on their family, compared to men who use 30% on their family.Caroline Rusten, UN Women

Women are particularly impacted by technology development in India, especially access to micro-financeJaideep Prabhu, Judge Business School

90%Of city dwellers breathed air that did not comply with WHO standards

60%Of energy consumption is from cities

70%Of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050

50% of the world's population currently live in cities

Rapid urbanization
has brought many challenges
including air pollution, an
increase in slums and pressure on
basic services and infrastructure. Unplanned urban sprawl
undermines other factors of
sustainable development.
For example, with every 10%
increase in sprawl, there is nearly
a 10% increase in per capita
hazardous pollution. The majority of urban
centers lack current information
on the indicators for Goal 11, and
better data is necessary to inform
planning decisions.

Next generation, post-silicon sensors can power smart cities and smart water management by assessing water quality and quantity from the outside of pipes. Jody Ranck, RAM Group